Origins of Hinduism.      

Please refer to the book “Vedic Aryans and the Origins of
Civilization”, by Navaratna Rajaram and David Frawley, 2001, Voice of India
Publication, New Delhi. A short list of important time markers according to the
book:

8,000 BC: End
of last global glaciations (Wisconsian).

7,000 BC: First
indication of civilization – Mehgarha, India

4,000 BC: Early
Vedic age (Rig Veda)

3,750 BC:
Decline of Rig Vedic age, Ramayana

3,600 BC: Late
Vedic age, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas

3,100 BC:
Canonization of Veda by Vyas, Mahabharat, River Sharaswati losses Yamuna, Kali
yuga begins.

3,000 BC:
Brahmanas period, Harappa, Mohenjodaro

2,900 BC: First
civilization in Middle East/Europe – Rise of Sumerian and Akkadian empires in
Mesopotamia, and rise of old kingdoms in Egypt (early Pyramids).

2,200 BC: Major
drought and decline of Harappa

2,000 BC: River
Sharaswati loses Sutlej

1,900 BC: River
Sharaswati dries, Harappa ends, Zoraster (Persia)

1,500 BC: Iron,
Dwaraka

   600 BC: Pythagoras

   500 BC: Buddha

 

Here are a few brief notes on evolution of Hinduism. Let
us clear a few issues first. Hinduism is a collection of Dharmas, not religion.
Dharma is not religion. Dharma is about seeking truth (Satya) and spiritual
disciplines (Yoga). Dharma should not be confused with non-Dharmic issues like
caste or rituals. Caste is the evolution in Hindu society as per motivation and
job specializations in the ancient times. Varieties of rituals are mostly
cultural expressions. On the other hand, religions are about social control
through brain washing, not spirituality. Spirituality is a universal human
theme, not limited by history, geography or culture. There are many known and
unknown Dharmas in the world. The universal principle is termed ‘Sanatana.’
Hinduism is the subset of Sanatana or Dharmas evolved in Indian sub-continent,
e.g. Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Tantrism, Charvakism
etc. Thus, Hinduism is a geographical definition. It can also be taken as a
democratic platform where different Dharmas act. A Dharma is not hostile to
another. They are like different branches of science (Sanatana) pursuing
different techniques and coming from different lineages. A Dharma may claim to
be easy or more rigorous or explains more, but will not condemn others.
Physicists do not condemn Mathematicians. Matter of fact, you cannot learn
Physics without Mathematics. Religions are always hostile to others. Because,
the social control comes from military like discipline and it cannot entertain
difference of opinions. A controlled society cannot have multiple ideologies or
leaders or cultures or views. Only a free society can have. Members of a
religion have to abide by the prescribed belief, ideology and behavior, and
essentially are not free. A soldier always sees enemy in another army. A Hindu
is not bound by any single discipline. The internal freedom is the first
requirement in spirituality. A Hindu learns from different schools and develops
own tradition. These individual or family traditions do evolve as new spiritual
tools are added and useless ones are dropped.

 

The end of last global glaciations (8,000 BC) is
important. Though there were earlier human civilizations, most were lost under
the glaciations. As the earth warmed, the tropical areas were first opened up
for the denser human habitation, which led to the advanced cultures and
philosophical developments. Most probably there were other civilizations also,
but as far as we know only ancient Vedic civilization survived. It still took a
few more millennia to evolve coherent spiritual ideas.

 

The Indian sub-continent was\is inhabited by all three
major races – Caucasian, Mongoloid and Negroid. There are still pockets of
Negroid people mostly in South India. Caucasian (not Aryan) people were\are all
over India. The Mongoloid (Kirati) people inhabited most of the Himalayan and
adjacent region and still do. The term ‘Arya’ is not race but means ‘cultured.’
Indians of any race call them self ‘Arya’ or ‘cultured/better’ as compared to
opponents who are labeled non-Arya or less cultured. It is like ‘Gentleman’ as
opposed to simple ‘man’ in English. Thus, it is misnomer to classify ‘Indian
Aryan’ specific to Caucasian race different from Mongoloid or Negroid races. On
the other hand, the theory that ‘Aryans came to India from Europe and displaced
original Dravidians’ is not true. Matter of fact, it is the other way. Northern
and Southern Indians, so called Aryans and Dravidians, is same people. Ravana
of Ramayan was a Brahmin. Some of these people migrated to Iran and Europe much
later. And many of the present day Khetriyas are actually Central Asians who
came to India later. Here the term ‘Caucasian’ is used as in physical
anthropology, not European/white specific. 

 

The practices of spirituality in Hinduism are the
amalgamation of teachings from all these groups. In general, Dwaita (Vishnu,
Narayan) philosophy comes mostly from Caucasian group and Adwaita (Shiva,
Mahadev) comes from Mongoloid (Kirati) group. In short, Dwaita teaches God
creates us through love, and we can approach God through love. Adwaita teaches
the universe is one, which includes our self. It can be realized by going
within or meditation. Adwaita uses abstract symbolism of ‘Lingam/Yoni’ to depict
the inner consciousness and the physical nature. However, there are other
systems also and Hinduism is the composite of all these views. These views are
not race specific. The medieval and modern proponents of Adwaita are Caucasians
like Shankaracharya and Vivekananda. On the other hand, Kirati people do not
limit worshipping only Shiva and practice only meditation. Kirati people
include many practices of Hinduism including tribal rituals.

 

The ancient Vedic civilization flourished around now
defunct Sharaswati river. The River used to be the mightiest flowing through
present day Rajasthan, Gujarat and pouring into Arabian Sea. The Sutlej and
Yamuna used to be its tributaries. It is interesting to note that there was no
physical river Sharaswati today as described in Veda and thus considered a
myth. However, present day technology of ‘Satellite Remote Sensing’ has shown
the ancient river and its multiple shifting basins. The ancient long lost city
of Dwaraka is also found in the sea by the Gujarat seashore.

 

The first indication of civilization begun around 7,000 BC
and Early Vedic period (Rig Veda) flourished around 4,000 BC. However, there
was tectonic (geological) shift and climate changes around 3,100 BC. River
Sharaswati lost Yamuna and started to dry up. It also marks the Mahabharata
age. After passing away of Krishna there was an interesting astronomical
alignment of all the planets. It is taken as the time marker between Dwapar and
Kali yuga. Also due to the precession cycle (26,000 years) of the Earth’s axis
the star alignments described in Mahabharat is considerably different from
alignments of today.

 

Because the Sharaswati river basin could not sustain
larger population, out ward migration began. River Ganga captured Yamuna and
became prominent. Civilizations around Ganga and Sindhu rivers (Harappa,
Mohenjodaro) became prominent around 3,000 BC. Varanasi/Banaras/Kasi is
considered the oldest continuously human occupied city today. Around 2,000 BC
Sharaswati lost Sutlej also. Sutlej became tributary to Sindhu. Around 1,900 BC
Sharaswati dried up and Harappa also declined. These ecological changes induced
out migration including into Iran and Europe, called Aryan migration.

 

Around 500 BC, Sidhartha Gautam ‘Buddha’ was born in
present day Nepal, who revitalized Dharma in Indian subcontinent, Asia and the
World. His core message is the existential reality can be realized through
empirical means or working within human faculty. It is important to note that
up till then standard spiritual practices depended on revelations or belief
systems. Thus, ‘you be the lamp on to yourself’ was a major break through.
Buddha was teaching an internal spiritual discipline independent of any belief
system, not forming an ethnic or political group. Thus, individuals of any
background can practice Buddhism.

 

A perfect harmony between the three principal sects of
Hinduism in Nepal namely Baudha (Buddha), Shaiva (Nilkantha) and Vaishnav
(Narayan) can be seen in the temple in Kathmandu, which we lovingly call 'Budha Nilkantha Narayan'.

 

            Satyam
ewa jayate.                                        Truth
always triumphs.

            Vashundhaiva
kutumbakam.                           World is
a family.

            Sarve api
sukhino santu.                                 Let all be happy.

            Yeto
Dharma stato jaya.                                Victory is where virtue is.

            Om mani
padme hum.                                    Goodness
comes out of goodness.

            Om
shantih, shantih, shantihi.                          Divine
peace, peace, and peace.